About Me

Born in the late 60's, Chesy hails from a Welsh mining village with a long name and was pretty glad when he got the Hell out of there. He got into Rock/Metal in about 1980, thanks to a TISWAS related incident (Rainbow video for All Night Long) and thankfully has never looked back.
Chesy often sang solo in the school choir, but thanks to a puberty related incident his voice is now completely bolloxed, although in his own head Paul thinks he sounds like a blend of Coverdale and Dio (R.I.P).
He was brought up on the classics - Deep Purple, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, Rush, Whitesnake and loved melodic rock and the Hair Bands of the 80's. (Nowadays, he has progressed a little and prefers a more technical and/or progressive metal - Dream Theater, Rush, Symphony X, Porcupine Tree, Pain Of Salvation, Spock's Beard. He hates Black and Death Metal (can't stand the grunting) but for some unknown reason loves the magnificent Opeth! He wont stop this blog until his beloved FM finally play the likes of the NEC as a headlining act!!!

Thursday, 27 April 2017

Sainted Sinners - S/T Album Review

Sainted Sinners

Sainted Sinners release their
self-titled debut album. Fronted by the unique, much travelled (but still got
it) soul-driven voice of American born vocalist David Reece (ex-Accept) and highly gifted guitar player Frank Pané, they are completed by legendary
keyboard player Ferdy Doernberg (Axel Rudi Pell) and the dynamic rhythm section of the
two former Purpendicular
membersMalteFrederik Burkert (bass) and
the Hungarian drummer Berci Hirleman.

“The idea first started with me thinking about forming a band
where I can follow my natural taste of music without compromises. I was writing
music and then basically formed the band around who would fit the direction it
was going”, remembers Pané, whose first step was to contact his
former band mate Reece. “Being one of my all-time
favourite singers, he was my obvious choice. It just clicked immediately and so
we agreed to lead the band together as we trust and respect each other.”

My own dalliance with Reece only is a
‘toe dip’ into his back catalogue with Reece Kronlund, and for me in
particular, one of the highlights of the early 90’s, Bangalore Choir’s debut.
Now then, if your idea of ‘rock’ is served with a huge slice of ‘classic’, then
you need look no further than Sainted Sinners. If you’re of a certain age then
the sound of a Hammond will make parts of your anatomy tingle like they used to
in the 70s and 80s. I’m a sucker for a Hammond organ (oo-er! F’narr!) and SS
has it in bleedin’ abundance. That much so, it should have its own credit in
the sleeve notes.

For ‘Knight Of The Long Knives’ the
Hammond is right up in the front of the mix, placing their classic rock
intentions firmly in front. Its duels with Pané’s guitar as did the greats of
old (Blackmore/Lord). Throw in Recces vocals that are a bit more lived in than
I first heard, but are still highly effective for this king of style, and it’s
in your face, unadulterated ROCK! ‘Beauty In The Beast’ is a fast paced

On times Reece comes over all David
Coverdale, and that is not a bad sound. I mean the 70s Coverdale, not the
current millennia Bee-Gees version, none more so than on ‘Maybe She’s Got
Balls’. It’s even written in the old skool (now almost defunct) Coverdale
style. ‘We Are All Sainted Sinners’ is
more blues tinged than its predecessors that goes for the ‘anthem’ effect. My
outright favourite is the next song, ‘Blue Lightning Man’. Nudging the best
part of seven minutes, it incorporated steel guitar before a Blackmore-esque
‘Kill The King’ inspired song kicks into high gear where organ and guitar trade
licks for fun. ‘This Love That I Have Found’ clearly shows Sainted Sinners love
of all things Led Zeppelin, from the Kashmir inspired riffage to the Cov/Page
collaboration. ‘Did You’ takes me back to my favourite Deep Purple glory days
of the ‘Burn’ era. Its just builds and builds to this great crescendo. ‘In
Need’ is like a song that VH would have done around the ‘W&CF’ era – its
part Take Your Whiskey Home’, part Southern rawk! What’s a classic rock album
without a song title with a woman’s name? Nothing I tell ya! It lives up to the
legacy of the past – April,Cherie,
Angeline, Luanne, etc. The album finishes with the equally powerful double
barrels of ‘Shine Diamond Girl’ and ‘Truth Is A Lie’

Recce, Pané, Doernberg, Burkert and
Hirleman have clearly struck gold here. Their love of all things classic has
come to the fore in one belting little diamond of an album. They all have their
both feet planted in their love for the classics -from Purple to Zeppelin, and from
Rainbow to Whitesnake – its all done with an admiration of the great era of the
past, than a blatant plagiarism, all with a modern twist. I don’t know why, but
I just wasn’t expecting this to be so damn good!!